Tuesday, June 12, 2012

Like pretty much all kids, my girls love getting hands-on with nearly any activity presented to them. Whether that means digging in the dirt, gluing together a craft masterpiece, cooking our next meal (and even washing the dishes afterward), or building a carefully constructed tower, they're happy as long as they can be a part of the action.

So, I'd like to say that I give them those opportunities at every turn... but that doesn't always happen. Sometimes it's just easier if I quickly make dinner on my own or plant flowers in the garden without them ending up strewn about the yard, you know? Not to mention that there are times that I look at craft supplies and know that I should be able to whip together something fun for my kids to do... but draw a blank.

Fortunately, there is an easy way for all of us to be happy. Thanks to Kiwi Crate, my kids can participate in entertaining, interactive activities that they'll be sure to enjoy, while I don't have come up with the idea or even try to find the materials. Instead, it all arrives in the mail perfectly designed to spark creativity, curiosity and imagination right out of the box.

A subscription-based service for kids 3 to 7, Kiwi Crate delivers a monthly "crate" of activities (the themes are gender neutral and different each month) that provides the instant inspiration and materials needed for fun, hands-on learning — all in one box and right to your doorstep!

All of the hand-selected projects and materials included in Kiwi Crate are parent-designed (with input from early childhood educators), expert-vetted, and kid-tested (they have an actual "test panel" of children to ensure that each project is age appropriate, educational, and engaging). The result? Parents, as well as their children, can easily end up having a great time together building, exploring and creating.

It is no wonder that these crates are garnering attention everywhere they go and are quickly becoming the hottest must-have item for kids among celebrity moms and top toy experts!

Knowing that my girls would be thrilled to receive a box of fun activities no matter if the theme was anything from Space to Gardening to Dinosaurs, I was already looking forward to their response when this cute green box arrived at our door.

Opening up the Under the Sea crate, I was happy to find a nicely wrapped package waiting inside... and it even included scissors with a nice card from Kiwi Crate mentioning that they might come in handy. How thoughtful!

Underneath, the two included projects (each crate contains at least two projects ranging from arts and crafts to science experiments to imaginative play and more) were clearly laid-out with all of the materials and an instruction card that told me everything we needed to know.

Who wouldn't want to dive in and start creatively learning with fun like this?

I especially appreciated the diagrams at the bottom of the project cards that gave me an idea as to how messy each project was going to be, what category it was from (e.g. creating or discovering), the skills used, and more.

As I read off the options to the girls, they chose to start with the My Ocean Experiment and were eager to begin exploring how things float and sink in salt water and fresh water.

This project was just the right amount of educational mixed with entertainment, as Big Sister E and Little Sister B had no problem chatting along with me about the differences between fresh water and salt water and why some items might float when others might sink.

At the same time, they loved getting to use their own cards to predict what was going to happen each time and then drop the balls into the water to see the results.

After having so much fun with the balls and soap that came along with the Kiwi Crate, I have no doubt that the girls will want to return to continue to do this project over and over again with other items from around the house!

Even though we could have continued to do the My Ocean Experiment project for quite a while longer, we decided to try our hand at the My Fishing Game as well to see how much fun that would also be.

So cute! This was yet another simple project that turned out to be a whole lot of fun! While I prepared the ocean and fishing rods, Big Sister E and Little Sister B punched out and decorated the various underwater creatures.

When we were ready, it was time to fish!

I'm not sure we could have had more fun with our Kiwi Crate! Not only were the activities entertaining for us to do together, the whole concept was the ultimate in convenience. All of the inspiration and materials needed to inspire creativity and curiosity were right there in the box... along with information about visiting the Kiwi Crate website for additional resources for each theme to encourage further exploration. This one crate can easily last us through multiple afternoons of active learning through play!

As a bonus, our crate came with scissors and crayons that will last long after the other project materials are used up... and it wouldn't be too hard for me to replenish the rest.

Kiwi Crate subscriptions can be ordered month-to-month ($19.95), three months ($59), six months ($110), or annually ($220, which includes a free month) and includes shipping. If you're looking to provide a child in your life with a gift that will keep on giving, Kiwi Crate is a great place to start!

Or, as a new addition to their offerings, Kiwi Crate has recently launched the Kiwi Crate Celebration Shop, an ecommerce storefront offering gift crates and party pack "mini-crates" for party activities or favors.

The new gift crates, Space Hero and Fairy Fun ($19.95 each), contain three projects to offer parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles and friends the ability to give a gift that is not only fun and engaging, but, enriching and educational as well.

Party packs ($5-$12) can be used as a children's party activity or party favor. Each "mini-crate" contains one hands-on project for kids to create a Cape, Wings, Wand, Comet, Rocket or Dolls, and are available in an assortment of colors and come with a child-size carrying handle. What a great way to liven up a party without having to stress over the planning and preparations!

(Other than the Under the Sea Crate that I was sent by Kiwi Crate, I was not provided with anything or enticed to do this review in any way. This review is solely my opinion of this unique website and their extremely fun products.)